by Unboxed Staff | Jan. 27, 2020 | 5 Min Read

Interactive Games for Training Sessions

unboxed-instructor-led-training-how-to-make-a-lecture-interactive

Do you know how to make a lecture interactive? Employee training is a necessary tool for success, but that doesn't always mean that your lectures are stimulating or exciting. 

If you're looking for ways to create more engaging lectures, there are several techniques and technologies you can use. Read on to discover some simple strategies that will help you create a training program that engages and interests your employees.

Interactive Workshop Activities During Lectures

One of the best ways to keep people engaged during a lecture is to start with a few activities that will encourage audience participation. Foster a spirit of openness when you work on creating an interactive lecture. Make sure employees feel as if their answers and contributions are appreciated and respected. 

Here are a few tips to make lecture based training more active:

Pop Quiz

A simple quiz that asks some easy questions is a great way to start. Use a projector and show the questions, and then ask members of your group to respond to see if they know the answers.

A quick quiz helps to stimulate conversation and instantly creates interest in what you have to say. People love to showcase their knowledge of certain subjects, so these types of easy interactive training activities are an excellent place to start.

Play Games

You can also create a few fun training games for work that will get everyone involved in the learning process. It can be anything from telephone to a quick trivia competition or game show style like jeopardy.

The key to any training games you use is to make sure that they're uniquely tailored to your company and employees. You want everyone who participates to learn things that are relevant to your business and the people who support it. 

Tell Stories

Everyone loves a good story. Keeping the training session relatable to daily life is a great way to keep participants engaged. The goal is to make sure that your employees feel involved in the learning process. Storytelling has a lasting effect on our memories and can also support knowledge retention.

These types of interactive training activities are crucial for creating a solid, focused team at your company. 

Team-Building Training Games

When you create your interactive workshop activities, make sure that your training games are focused on building a team. Every company is only as good as its people. As Ken Blanchard says, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” 

For more engaging lectures, use training games that include everyone in the audience and not just a few selective people. Make sure that you're encouraging everyone to participate and work together to solve a common problem or to reach a common goal.

Fun training games for work helps everyone look forward to coming to the training session. Use training games for specific training events and incorporate them into your LMS to keep employee training engaging throughout the workweek.

If you really want to up the ante, gamify in-person training events by handing out prizes or other rewards to the winning team or individual who masters the training games. This will give your employees some incentive to learn as much as possible and it also shows you who on your team is taking the most initiative.

Any team-building game you try should focus on the benefits of working together. The games don't have to be all related to the work itself. They can also focus on teamwork specifically to create a sense of togetherness and strength in numbers.

Tips to Make Lecture Based Training More Interactive

While training games and quizzes are fun, there's plenty of other methods you can use to craft an interactive lecture for your trainees. As you develop your curriculum, make sure you incorporate things like photos, videos, and graphics into your presentation.

Nail the Hook

The key to any effective and interactive lecture is to "hook" your audience right from the start. You can do this by telling a story or a funny joke. Maybe even begin with an unexpected activity like rearranging the whole room or playing some music or a video. These initial hooks will draw people in and begin to form an interest in learning more.

Keep it Visual

Visual stimulation engages participants to pay more attention to the things you have to say. If you simply stand at a podium and talk for over an hour, chances are that many people will start to zone out quicker. Try adding some colorful graphs, charts, or even some humorous cartoons or memes in your presentation (depending on the setting).

Break it Up

Try to break your lecture up into smaller, bite-sized chunks instead of talking for a long period of time. You can toggle between talking, asking questions, and getting the audience involved to make things more interesting. Consider playing some short videos throughout the lecture to keep your audience engaged.

Ask Questions

Another good way to ensure a lecture is interactive is to ask your trainees questions about the content they are learning as you go. This will keep people on their toes and encourage them to pay close attention to what you're saying in case they are called on.

Training is the most important element of any successful company. Educating your employees while keeping them fully engaged doesn’t have to be a hassle. Use these fun corporate training ideas to carry your message throughout the entire presentation. 

Unbox Your Training Lectures

No matter what industry you're in, you can make an interactive lecture that transforms employee training into a fun, immersive experience. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and incorporate a variety of techniques like multimedia presentations and fun training games.

The more exciting you make your lectures, the better the odds are that your employees will retain important information. Try some of these tips to get your trainees excited about the learning process.

Reach out to our team at Unboxed Training & Technology to discover how you can utilize our expertise to improve your employee training today.

The start of every new year is a chance to revisit training goals and aspirations for the coming 12 months. How do you know what’s worth your investment?

More articles like this one